Rail-spacing device.



J. W. KENDRIGK.

- EAILSPAGING DEVICE.

LG APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1908. n 1

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

JOHN W. KENDRICK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAIL-SPACING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 29, 1908.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

Serial No. 455,238.

510 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. KENDRICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Spacing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a device which shall be adapted to hold the two rails of a railway track spaced apart at a definite distance. A further object of my invention is to provide such a device which may be capable of quick application to the rails for the purpose of temporarily holding them in the desired spaced relation. 5

Still another object is to provide such a device that may be very quickly removed from the rails after having served the purpose already stated.

These and other objects will be made apparent in the following specification and claims, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of my device, certain of the parts being shown in section, as indicated by the line 1 in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a top plan view. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the device. Fig. 1 is a. section taken on the line 1 of Fig. 1.

A particular purpose for which my device is well adapted is in connection with fastening the rails to the ties. After the rails have been spaced apart at the required gage, the device of my invention may be fastened across to both rails so as to hold them definitely separated at the gaged distance while the rails are being spiked to the ties. Thereafter the device can quickly be removed and used at another point along the track for the same purpose.

In the particular embodiment of my invention which I have chosen to illustrate in the drawings, a metal bar 16 is provided having a jaw 17 which is adapted to engage the base 18 of the rail 15 in the manner shown in Fig. 1. A member 19 has a hole 21 therethrough which has a sliding fit on the bar 16. From this member 19 a jaw 20 projects in opposition to the jaw 17 on the bar. Above the bar 16, the slide 19 has a transverse slot 22, one side of this slot being in the plane of the upper surface of the bar 16 and the opposite side of the slot being inclined to said plane. A key or wedge 23 occupies the slot, having a head 24 at its larger end adapted to be struck by a hammer and having a cotter pin 25 through its smaller end so as to prevent complete withdrawal of the wedge 23 from the slot 22. The sliding member 19 has a knob 26 on the end opposite to the jaw 20, this knob being adapted to receive a direct hammer blow. An eye 27 is provided in the end of the bar 16. This is engaged by the eye 30 in the end of the link 31 which carries a spike or prong 32 at its end. Two other slides designated generally as 19 and 19 each similar in every respect to the slide 19 that has already been described, are mounted on the intermediate portion of the rod 16, as shown in Fig. 1.

The two rails 15 having been spaced apart by a gage at the desired distance, the slide 19 having been pushed out against the cotter pin 35 and the two slides 19 and 19 being positioned in proximity to the middle point of the bar 16, the bar 16 is passed transversely under the two rails and the jaw 17 is hooked over the outer base 18 of one rail. Then the slide 19 is advanced to ward the outer base 18 of the other rail by striking it with a hammer on the head 26, thus causing the jaw 20 to clamp tightly on the base 18. Then the slide 19 is clamped securely in place on the bar 16 by striking the wedge on its head 24:. Thereafter in exactly a similar manner, the two slides 19 and 19 are clamped upon the respective inner bases of the two rails and the slides themselves are locked in place on the bar 16. Then the bar 16 may be fixed relatively to the ties 33 by driving the prong 32, as shown in Fig. 2. One purpose of this is to keep the rails properly alined on the ties while construction or other trains are passing thereover before the rails are spiked down. Furthermore, the rails 15 are definitely held in the desired space relation while being spiked to the ties. Thereafter it is only the work of a moment to strike the wedges 23 on their smaller ends, thus releasing the slides 19, 19' and 19 and then sliding them back from the rails, whereupon the bar 16 may be immediately removed and applied farther along on the track. In practice, it may be desirable to use several such bars 16, applying them simultaneously at points along the track, then spiking the section of track spaced by them and then reapplying the bars similarly on a consecutive section of the track.

It will be seen that I have provided a temporary rail spacer which can be applied to the rails in the least possible time, which holds them definitely spaced as long as may be necessary for the purpose of spiking them, and which can then be removed with a minimum expenditure of time and effort. It can be used equally well with screw spikes or others and it does not mutilate or damage the ties or sleepers.

I claim:

1. A device for spacing the two rails of a track, comprising a bar with a fixed jaw on one end and with three adjustable jaws thereon to engage both of the rails and hold them in fixed relation to the bar, and wedges to lock said adjustable jaws at any desired point of adjustment along the length of the bar, said adjustable jaws having transverse recesses to receive said wedges.

2. A device for spacing the two rails of a track, comprising a bar with sliding members thereon adapted to engage both of the rails and hold them in fixed relation to the bar, each said sliding member having transverse recesses adjacent to the bar and wedges therein to lock it securely in place on the bar at any desired point of adjustment along the same.

3. A device for spacing the two rails of a track, comprising a bar with a sliding member thereon, said sliding member having a jaw to engage the rail and having a slot therethrough adjacent to the surface of the bar, and a wedge in said slot, the surface of the bar adjacent to the wedge being uniform.

4. A device for spacing the two" rails of a track, comprising a bar with a slide thereon, said slide having means to engage the rail and a tapering slot therethrough adjacent to the surface of the bar, and an adjustable wedge in said slot, the surface of the bar adjacent to the wedge being uniform.

5. A device for spacing the two rails of a track, comprising a bar with adjustable means thereon to engage bot-h of the rails and hold them in fixed relation to the bar, and a hook pivoted to the bar and adapted to engage the adjacent railway sleeper so as to hold the bar in fixed relation thereto. 6. A device for spacing the two rails of a track comprising a bar with slidable jaws mounted'thereon toengage both of the rails and hold them in fixed relation to the bar, and a hook pivoted to the bar and adapted to engage the adjacent railway sleeper so as to hold the bar in fixed relation thereto.

7. A device for spacing the two rails of a track comprising a bar with slidable jaws mounted thereon to engage both of the rails and hold them in fixed relation to the bar, wedging keys adapted to lock said jaws at any desired point along the bar, and a hook pivoted to the bar and adapted to engage the adjacent railway sleeper so as to hold the bar in fixed relation thereto.

8. A device for spacing the two rails of'a track comprising a bar with a slide thereon, said slide having a jaw adapted to engage the base of the rail and a sleeve surrounding the bar, said slide also having a tapering transverse slot adjacent to the surface of the bar, and an adjustable wedge lying in said slot and adapted to lock the slide to the bar at any desired point of adjustment, the surface pf the bar adjacent to the slide being uniform.

9. A device for spacing the two rails of a track, comprising a bar with one end bent over to form a jaw, three sliding members on the bar each carrying a aw, and a wedge engaging each of the sliding members and adapted to lock the same at any desired position along the bar, the surface of the bar adjacent to said wedges being uniform.

10. In a device of the class described, a bar having one end bent over to form a hook, the remainder of the bar being continuous and uniform in cross section, three sliding members surrounding the bar, each said member having a transverse slot adjacent to the bar, and respective wedges in said slots adapted to lock the said members by their wedging action at any desired point of adjustment along the length of the bar.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

JOHN W. KENDRICK.

Witnesses: V

F. H. APPLETON,

L. G. SPELLEN.

Copies 01. this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of .Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

